Wartime survey of Ukrainian society / fifth wave

Currently, 59% of Ukrainians declare they have a job, according to the fifth wave of a national poll during the war conducted by Gradus Research. At the beginning of the war, 38% of respondents said they had a job but did not work, while now their number has dropped to 23%. On the other hand, the number of respondents who have a job and work has increased significantly over the past 2.5 months (from 24% to 36%).

The situation among the unemployed is also improving: their number has decreased from 41% to 35% during the last month.
The highest level of employment is observed in the western and central regions. There it reaches 70% and 58% respectively. Residents of the capital are also returning to work. As of May 23, 44% of Kyiv residents are working.

“Getting back to work is very important because it gives people meaning. These changes also highlight that society is gradually moving from the expectation of a quick victory and postponing life to adapting to reality,” comments Evgeniya Blyznyuk, CEO&Founder of Gradus Research.

These figures are partly due to the fact that the vast majority of the population of the above-mentioned regions remained in their permanent residences during the war (84% of respondents in the western region and 78% in the central region). And 27% of Kyiv residents have already returned home.

The number of citizens who plan to stay where they are now in case of aggravation of the situation is also growing (this figure has increased from 41% to 53% in a month). 57% of respondents declared their intention to return from abroad as soon as possible, and 19% have not yet made a decision.

As for confidence in Ukraine’s ability to repel Russia’s offensive, despite war fatigue and constant uncertainty, it remains high at 82%.

The full report of the study of socio-political attitudes of Ukrainians during the war is available upon request in the form on this page.

As part of the “Gradus of Society during the War” project, Gradus Research conducted five waves of research on the mood of Ukrainians during the war: the first — February 28-March 1, the second — March 8, the third — March 28, the fourth — April 20, and the fifth — May 23, 2022. In the fifth wave, 1,133 Ukrainian citizens aged 18-60 living in 50,000 + cities filled out a questionnaire in a special mobile application.